Brentwood’s Editor’s Scribblings for January

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Dear Brentwoodians,

Brentwood is turning 60 next year, and the Brentwood Community Association is assembling an Anniversary Committee to plan events to mark this milestone. They are looking for volunteers, so if you are interested, please contact Linda Van Holst at the BCA office at [email protected] or 403-284-3477. Let’s all help make this a year to remember and celebrate our great community!

Those of you who are part of the École St. Luc community will already know that plans are underway for a new playground. Following the fantastic result of the renovation at CJP, it is great to hear that another modern playground will be arriving in Brentwood. Stay tuned for information about fundraising and progress.

Finally, we have two important messages – the first is from the BCA President, following this column. The second is from the Calgary Police Residential Traffic Safety Unit (RTSU):

“Our strategy is to utilize citizen feedback to develop our operational response. We focus on playground zones, pedestrian rich areas, and other high-risk locations identified through collision data analysis. The RTSU is attached to the Traffic Section of the Calgary Police Service.

We strongly emphasize public awareness and education, facilitating citizen engagement by attending Community Association Board meetings to discuss the Traffic Service Request System (TSR). The TSR is a key tool to help Calgary Police Service monitor and track traffic safety issues. We encourage Communities to offer this link in Newsletters, Community web pages, etc.

The RTSU also utilizes strong collaborative relationships with City partners on traffic concerns requiring resolutions other than enforcement, like sign changes, installation of crosswalks, Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons, extension of playground zones, etc.

Thank you,

Cst Randy MacDonald #3787

Residential Traffic Safety Unit”

Photo Contest

The Bugle is looking for Brentwood’s best amateur photographers to provide cover images each month. If you have a great snap of our neighbourhood saved on your phone or posted on your social media feed, send it in for a chance to be featured on the cover of an upcoming issue! Photos must be 300 DPI or higher (i.e., from a newer model phone or good digital camera), 2400 x 1600 pixels minimum size, and portrait orientation. If submitting pictures of minors, please make sure that you have direct, express permission to submit the picture from a parent or guardian. Send your photos, or any questions, to [email protected].

Yours sincerely,

Jonathan Jucker

Editor, Brentwood Bugle

A Message from the BCA President

Some of you may have read the November 29, 2022 article in the Calgary Herald about the North Haven Community Association Board’s comments regarding Councillor Sean Chu. The article was written by Bill Kaufmann of the Calgary Herald, and he contacted me by email on Monday, November 28, 2022, to ask for a comment from the Brentwood Community Association.

In a written reply, I told him, “It has not been discussed. Our board meeting is tomorrow night, and I will bring up the subject.” Mr. Kaufmann subsequently wrote an article in which he made it read as if the BCA would be taking similar action to that of North Haven. This was never stated by me or by other members of the BCA Board.

I asked the Herald to retract their statement and apologize, but they said that they did nothing wrong. To quote Bill Kaufmann, “People often misconstrue or fail to read an entire article. Have you read it? Nowhere does it say your CA will follow North Haven’s example. I can only go by what’s actually in an article, not on what people think or want to believe is in it.”

The online version of the article did show what I quoted, but the paper version did not, so I can understand why people are confused.

As a community board, the BCA must stay neutral because we speak for all residents, and we have residents on both sides of this topic. We do not have any legal grounds one way or another as this is a Provincial matter. The BCA must leave judicial or legal matters to those with experience in a subject area, and we will follow what other levels of government or policing decide.

Hopefully, this clears up any concerns that you might have had.

Sincerely,

Bonita McCurry

BCA President